My Take: HB253 debate leaves us confused

Thursday

Aug 1, 2013 at 1:22 PM

A column by managing editor Jason Hunsicker.

Jason Hunsicker @JHunsicker_KDE @jhunsicker_kde

I’ll begin by admitting I do not have a firm grasp on House Bill 253 and its possible impact on the state of Missouri. We plan to examine this issue thoroughly in upcoming editions of the Daily Express. We have no choice. If you attempt to gain information simply by listing to the Republican-led legislature that passed the bill and our Democratic governor who vetoed the bill, your head will be swimming in no time.

Each side would have us believe they are 100 percent correct. The bill is either going to usher in a new era of growth and prosperity for Missouri’s economy, or be the beginnings of a slippery slope that will leave us somewhere south of Illinois’ mess.

It’s incredibly frustrating, because they can’t both be correct. Each side is looking at this issue through a political light, seeing victory and defeat that will set them up for future elections. This is about more than that. This is about us. This is about our economy. This is about our future as a state. That means it’s either A) perfect or B) less than perfect, but either way it’s something our elected leaders should be able to agree on. This goes beyond politics.

House Speaker Rep. Tim Jones, a Republican pretty much everyone expects to run for statewide office in a few years, put out an interesting press release last week in which he argued, all at the same time, that our state is “experiencing explosive growth” but needs this bill to “ improve our business climate, and make our state an ideal place for families to live and employers to do business.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Jay Nixon has toured the state telling anyone who will listen that HB253 is the equivalent of putting the final nail in K-12 education’s coffin. In a statement last week he called the bill a “reckless fiscal experiment” that would “undermine permanently Missouri’s ability to support public education and other vital services.”

Confused enough?

Gov. Nixon has vetoed HB253, but Republicans have the votes to override if they stay united. They haven’t, as our own Rep. Nate Walker has stated on the record he will not vote to override the bill, calling it “flawed” and saying he must do what is best for his constituents. And while we beg for our elected officials to do what they feel is right for all of us and not just for their party, Rep. Walker has been under attack for doing exactly that.

The House will convene for Veto Session in September. I have a feeling the “dog days” of summer are going to be more painful than usual.